Red dust whipped against his face. The fine dirt shifted beneath his feet. He pushed himself to run faster, even as his lungs burned. Don't look back, he thought grimly. If he did, it was over.
The world around narrowed, black spots clouding his vision.
This is it.
His body prickled, numbness spreading.
Powerless.
Defeat was inevitable.
Mother... I'm sorry.
Merlin felt his feet slow, not a conscious decision but an unavoidable result. Just as he tripped to his knees, his body too heavy to bare, a great gust of wind and dust surrounded him. He looked toward the sky and, in a moment of awe, forgot the dangers behind him.
A great winged creature of unparalleled size descended from the air with an ethereal grace. The body a gradient of black and purple scales, large talons reaching toward the ground. Deep eyes set determinedly on the collapsed man.
As the creature slowed its wings and touched the earth, the wind began to settle, the dust storm calming around them. "I am Kilgarrah," the creature spoke in a resounding voice, "And your destiny has come."
Kilgarrah opened his maw and exhaled a breath of gold, swirling toward Merlin. Gold filled his senses, numbing his mind. Let this be death, Merlin prayed. The world mercifully slipped away as golden warmth enveloped him.
Merlin's eyes fluttered open to a new world of green.